The Butterfly Effect
by CaseyIsMyValentine
Summary: Welcome to the flip side, Sammy.
1. Careful What You Wish For

**The Butterfly Effect**

_Be careful what you wish for_

_It might come true_

_Your imagination_

_Can be the death of you._

_**-Blood on the Dance Floor "What Dreams Are Made Of"**_

_**Prologue**_

Regular Saturday mornings are supposed to be regular Saturday mornings. Like _my_ regular Saturday mornings. I wake up in my apartment in the senior highrise, Grams makes me oatmeal, and I usually hang out with my best friend Marissa or my friends Holly or Dot or Billy or my boyfriend Casey. Then I usually come home and eat dinner and do some homework and go to sleep. That is what a regular Saturday morning is supposed to be like.

But my birthdays are never regular. In fact, my last birthday was very irregular. Last year I was supposedly turning fourteen but my mother barreled into town and told me I was actually twelve going on thirteen. And then I figured out Heather, my archenemy, had the same birthday as me.

But this year, my regular Saturday morning AKA my REAL fourteenth birthday, turned out very, very irregular.

This is a cheesy and weird phrase that no one really takes seriously, but... Be careful what you wish for. It might come true.

**Chapter One **_**- Careful What You Wish For**_

"This is not acceptable!" I heard Grams' voice in the kitchen speaking harshly. I was lying on the couch (my "bed") listening. Who was she talking to? Who was in here so early? Marissa...? Hudson...?

"Yes, it is! It is her birthday and I am her mother! I have the right to be here!" my mother's unmistakable stage-voice projected all the way out here.

I sat upright. My god, was Mom here to ruin the day again? Every time she comes it's to mess something up. Okay, I'll admit, she was the one who saved me and Casey from falling apart all the way back on September, but after that her Good Deeds were done. And now she is back to being number one on People Magazine's Top Ten Worst Mothers. Okay, just kidding but you know what I mean.

I tried to duck back under my covers and cover up my ears. This was supposed to be a GOOD birthday. Grams and I were supposed to have breakfast at Hudson's. Then Marissa, Billy, Holly, Dot, and I were going to hang out and go to lunch (and according to Marissa, give me my birthday presents but I insisted she shouldn't get anything but she did anyway I'm guessing). Since Casey had promised his family he'd go out to lunch for Heather's birthday, he made special plans for me and him at night. Just the two of us. And he hadn't told me what they were, so I was getting all nervous and hyped up about it at the same time. But if Lana had to suddenly appear on my birthday, it totally ruined everything. Because it's rare for her to come for a weekend and she'd probably need to get back to L.A by tomorrow or Monday anyway, so she would insist that I spend the whole day with her.

And that is _not_ how I planned to spend my fourteenth birthday.

"Samantha, I know you're awake." my mother sang.

How did she know? _Ugh_.

I sat up again. "Please leave." I called.

She marched out into the living room. "How rude!" she snapped. "I was just about to wish you a happy birthday."

"Gee, thanks." I rolled my eyes. "Okay, now you can leave."

Lana is seriously looking angry and Grams joins us.

"Go take a shower and get dressed, Samantha." Grams urged. "We have something important we need to say." she looked warily over at Lana.

Lana gave her this indescribable eye-twitch.

Hmm.

So I get myself showered and dressed. What a great way to start my birthday.

I sat down very formally on the couch. Politely placed my hands into my lap. Sat straight up. Smiled at Lana and Grams.

"Yes?" I asked, my voice dripping fake-sweetness.

I just wanted this over with. I was supposed to have a good day today. I kept repeating this to myself.

Lana locked eyes with me. "You're fourteen." she said slowly. "And I think you deserve to know who your father is now."

Oh.

My.

God.

_WHAT?_

_REALLY?_

Was I happy about this? Or sad? Or angry? Or upset? Or ecstatic? Or...nervous. I was nervous.

My voice was shaking so much I could barely muster up a reply. "R-really?"

"No," Lana rolled her eyes and sad sarcastically, "I'm just pretending. Now goodbye and let's pretend I didn't waste a weekend coming here to tell you about the scumbag man that I conceived you with."

She was obviously being sarcastic but Grams was all shocked. "_Lana_!" she scolded.

"Okay, I'm telling her, Mother." Lana said and gave me a false smile. "Samantha, this may be hard to comprehend for you, but your father is..."

My father was...?

"He's..."

He's...?

"The man who is your biological paternal figure is..."

My biological "paternal" figure is...?

"I don't think you know him, he has a son your age..."

"Who _is_ he?"

"His name is Mason Urbanski. He has a son around your age, Daniel?"

_WHAT_.

_WHAT?_

_WHAATTT?_

"_What_?" I screeched.

"_What_?" my mother snapped back but she didn't say 'What' in a surprised tone like I did. She said it in an accused tone. Like the What-Did-_I_-Do? look.

I tried gasping for air. Okay, so Danny was technically my brother. But only because we had the same dad. Okay, this wasn't so hard to handle actually...hopefully Danny would never find out and I could live life the way I always did and...

"And not to dump this information on both of you, but I actually recently spoke to Mason..." Lana looked fidgety and a little nervous.

"Lana, what is it?" Grams snapped. She seemed suddenly very afraid too. Lana was just one big ball of surprises, huh?

Lana continued, "And he wants you to go live with him and his wife and his son. He said he knows it's sudden but that's what he wants. And since I feel like this living situation is risky for both of you, I signed the parent custody agreement and agreed to let him be your legal guardian now. You're going to live with him, Samantha."

Oh. My. _God_.

No.

Way.

I was suddenly freaking out.

This is not how Sammy Keyes usually reacts in reality. But to me this was _not_ reality. It was some sort of practical joke! I was going insane.

"_WHAT DO YOU MEAN I'M JUST MOVING IN?_ I DON'T EVEN _KNOW_ HIM! HE'S NOT MY DAD TO ME! HIS SON IS A TOTAL [BLEEP] AND [BLEEP] AND YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND I _CAN'T_ MOVE IN WITH HIM BECAUSE I...I JUST...I _CAN'T_!"

Silence.

Shocked. Silence.

I hated my mom. I hated her for doing this. For moving away when I was a kid. For ruining my life. Why hadn't she just stayed with me? Why hadn't she gotten a better job and made a better life for both of us? Why was she a selfish little -? Why did I just wish I were never born? Why did I wish she had never gone to L.A all those years ago? Why?

"I just..." I was sobbing now, going crazy. "I wish you had never gone to L.A, _EVER_! I wish you had just stayed with me! Was it _that_ difficult for you? Did you hate me _that_ much? I wish I had a life where I'm normal and live in a normal house with a normal mom and do normal things! I hate you!"

Before I could see a reaction to anyone, everything blacked out.

_**A/N: **__So I have posted the whole complete story here. I wrote it all beforehand and now I'm posting it here altogether. SO COMMENT. Because I was that nice. But yeah, 15 chapters already up completing the story? Admit it, I __**rock**__. Kbye. __**Disclaimer: I don't own Sammy Keyes, Wendelin Van Draanen does. This was the disclaimer for all the chapters. **_


	2. Imagination Can Be the Death of You

**Chapter Two - **_**Imagination Can Be the Death of You**_

I woke up. Where was I? A room? Who's room was this? Why was there so much purple and white? Why was I wearing a pink tank top that according to the label was from the store Pink, and black shorts that were also from Pink also. I didn't own anything from Pink. Why was I wearing this stuff?

Oh my God. I saw my messy hair fall upon my bare shoulders. Since when did I have _BLONDE_ _HIGHLIGHTS_! Okay something was not right here. Was I kidnapped and raped? Put here to be tortured by a creepy serial killer?

I quickly got up from the bed and crept into the hallway.

The one and only Lady Lana's voice filled the floor below and I felt my insides rush with relief. At least I knew I hadn't been kidnapped.

I went down the stairs and into a living room. It was kind of small. Lana was on her phone- an old silver Motorola. Where was her Android that she usually had?

"Of course Robert, _love_ you." she cooed into the phone and then snapped it shut.

"Who's Robert?" I blurted. "Aren't you dating Warren?"

"Warren?" she laughed sweetly. "Sweetie, who is _Warren_? You know Rob, we've been dating for 2 years now."

I blinked. "Where am I?"

She looked puzzled. "Home...?"

"This is not home."

She shook her head. "Sorry. This is home, Samantha. Stop playing games. Now get ready for school."

"School?"

"Yes, school! Oh, and I forgot to say! Happy Birthday!"

"What? It's my birthday? But where am I?"

"Home!" she laughed again and got up. While she was walking away I heard her mutter jokingly, "Kids and their games."

Home? Was I dreaming?

I pinched myself. Again. And again. I went back to the room I had found myself in and tried to go back to sleep so I would wake up and everything would be okay again. But I didn't.

I couldn't go to sleep.

So I was probably in a really extensive dream, that's all.

I sighed frustrated and went to my closet. Hopefully I still went to William Rose Junior High, right? And maybe this dream would be over soon.

I opened up the walk-in closet door just to find the closet of a...a Heather. No seriously, the closet was packed with Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister and...well, that's all. Those were the only labels I had seen.

Who spends this much time loading their closet with this stuff?

Annoyed, I chose a white tank-top and a red (Hollister) hoodie. And a pair of (Abercrombie & Fitch) jeans that were ripped at the knees. I could tell that the rips were purposely supposed to be there already.

Okay. Maybe my outfit was labeled with brands that I never usually wore, but at least it was close enough to my usual outfits that I wore in my _real_ life, which was just a hoodie and jeans. Now time for shoes.

There better be high-tops in this closet.

I bent down to take a look at the shoe selection. A pair of plaid ballet flats, a pair of chocolate-brown Uggs (like Casey's eyes!), a black pair of flip-flops (who wore flip-flops anymore, anyway?), and last but not least a pair of gray and pink and black Pumas.

And no high-tops.

I took the Pumas. They were the closest I could get to high-tops. I slipped them on and went to brush my teeth and wash my face.

When I got downstairs Lana was...making. _Breakfast_.

What?

"Are you making _breakfast_?"

She looked and me and gave me a funny look. "I make breakfast every morning, Samantha."

"No, you don't." I blinked.

"Samantha," she walked over to me slowly, "are you feeling okay? You seem very out of it today."

"I'm okay! But you never make breakfast! And who's house is this? Why am I here? Why are YOU here?"

She blinked. Then as if everything was happening in slow motion she opened her mouth and said slowly, "This is our home, Samantha." she placed a hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eyes. "And we've been living here every since you started kindergarten. And I _do_ make breakfast for you. Every. Morning."

That was it.

I screamed.

I was screaming bloody murder and Lana freaked out. "Samantha! Do you need to see a doctor? Samantha! Samantha! I think you should stay home today!"

I shook my head. "No! I'm going to school." I needed to see my friends. They had to remember. They _HAD_ to remember! Why wasn't this dream ending? And why did it feel so _real_? Dreams never usually feel this real. "Do I still go to William Rose?"

She nodded slowly. "Yes, but I think you need to stay home today. You seen very different."

"No! I'm going to school!" I flailed.

Then I stormed out of the house and on my way to William Rose Junior High.


	3. South of Nowhere in William Rose

**Chapter Three - **_**South of Nowhere in William Rose**_

I entered William Rose Junior High feeling very self-conscious. What if people saw me dressed all pink-and-red and thought I was weird? What if Marissa didn't recognize me? What if—

"Heeey Sammy!" a boy I recognized as Seth Johnson waved at me. Why was Seth waving at me? He was one of Heather's friends. I thought he hated me.

"Uh, hi." I said awkwardly. I went to my locker and Monet suddenly stopped right by me.

"My God, Sammy, you'll never believe what happened!" she gushed. "So yesterday Heather and I were at the mall and suddenly she sees Casey and his Noelle and so Heather passes by casually but sticks her gum into Noelle's hair and it was just SO FUNNY." she's cracking up.

"Noelle? Who's Noelle?"

Monet looked at me like I'm mentally disabled. "Um, Casey's total slutty bitch of a girlfriend?"

The hypothetical crickets go _*chirp chirp*_

"_WHAT_?" I nearly screamed, slamming my locker shut.

A laugh escaped Monet's lips. "This just proves it."

"Proves what?" I demanded. Casey had cheated on me. _MY_ Casey had cheated on me. He's been _cheating_ on me. And I find out on my birthday, too! And WHERE WAS I? If this wasn't a dream WHAT WAS IT? _Arrrghhh!_

"It's proves you have a thing for Casey." Money grinned. "We've always known you do. You have a crush on him. Admit it."

"Admit what? Casey is— or was— my boyfriend! And why are you _talking_ to me? Don't you _hate_ me!"

Monet started cracking up again. "Sammy, you are _too_ funny sometimes. Is this some kind of practical joke you're playing on us? Look, we didn't forget your birthday." she winked. "Be at Heather's place at four tonight."

"What?"

She laughed. "You'll see!"

I wanted to kick something. More like kick _Monet_.

I went to homeroom. At least my schedule was the same. Why was everything messed up? Why wasn't I Casey's girlfriend? What was happening?

"Billy!" I ran over to Billy. He was grinning at me. "Oh hey, Sammy!"

"Billy!" I said again, happy to finally be with someone who was acting the same as they always did. I hugged him for no particular reason.

"You okay?" he asked.

I shook my head. "No." my voice cracked. "I'm confused."

"Why?"

I shook my head again. There was no way I could tell him. In this "new" reality I was in, everything was different. Apparently I was Heather's friend? And Casey had a girlfriend named Noelle? And I lived with my mom and she wasn't even in L.A?

She wasn't even in L.A.

_She wasn't even in L.A!_

Oh my god!

I slid into my desk and held my face in my hands. "Ohhhh my goddddd." I moaned.

"What?" Billy asked.

"It's...nothing." I said to him.

But it wasn't nothing. Because I remember now. Right when Lana had told me my dad was Danny's dad, I had wished she had never moved to L.A. I had said she had ruined my life by moving to L.A. And then I had blacked out and awaken inside an alternate reality in which my mom had stayed in Santa Martina and nerve gone to L.A.

Is this what my life would be like if she had stayed? Would I stay like this forever?

After homeroom I went through my classes trying act like it was a normal school day. Maybe if I kept my mind straight on my REAL life, everything would align and it would all be okay. I should have known better.

"Sammy!" Heather called when I entered History class. Okay, since apparently in this new reality me and Heather are _not_ archenemies, I have to play along.

"Hey!" I forced a smile. This was too weird.

She came over to my desk and placed a cupcake on my desk. "Look, I know it's tons of calories but it's your birthday so..."

"Happy birthday to you, too." I said trying to keep my smile on. "I didn't bring your gift because I want to give it to you tonight when I come over. Monet told me to come over." I was a liar, liar, liar.

She nodded. "Yeah, I have your real present at my house, too!" she clapped her hands together. "Danny is gonna be there too! I am so excited." she said in a lowered voice. "Hopefully Marissa won't be _too_ swoony."

I had totally been lying. I didn't even HAVE a gift for her! I hadn't even known she was my friend when I was coming to school today.

"Marissa?" the sound of her name made my heart start beating faster. Marissa! If there was anyone who'd remember the REAL reality, it would have to be Marissa! And she couldn't have changed much either. She was probably still the same Marissa I know.

Again, I should have known better.

Lunch came around and I found Marissa sitting at a table. I went over to her.

"Happy birthday!" she squealed. "Where are Heather and Tenille and Monet? Not here yet?"

"They _sit_ with us, too!" I blurted.

"What? They always do."

"Oh. Right." I needed to keep my mouth shut!

I sat down at the table. "Look, Marissa, you're my best friend right?"

She nodded slowly. "Yeah...? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. But what I need to tell you is that this is not our life. Me and you aren't really friends with—"

Heather came over. She sat down next to me. "I still think it's awesome how you and I have the same birthday." she gushed. "Remember in fourth grade when the frosting tube exploded in our faces?" she started laughing.

"Yeah... _Haha_." I said meekly.

Marissa leaned onto the table just as Tenille and Monet appeared.

"Okay," Marissa was gushing again. "So Daddy says I can get the new iPhone 4 and so don't text me this weekend or call me because I'll be switching."

"Don't you already have an iPhone?" Tenille's nasally voice made me wonder how anyone can stand to be in a conversation with her.

Marissa nodded. "Yeaah," she said snottily, "But I want the _new_ one. I have to be on top of everything." she flipped her long straightened hair. "Besides," she smirked, "I have the money, so why put it to waste in a lonely bank when it could be put to good use in the Apple Company?"

Heather, Tenille, and Monet laugh. I'm not. Since when was Marissa so materialistic and snobbish?

"Speaking of money, Sammy, I got you the most fa-bu-lous gift ev-er!" she lightly claps her hands together. "I don't mean to spoil it, but it's the new Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses I saw you look at in the mall the other day." she smiled and winked. "Maybe Seth will think you look even cuter in them."

"Seth?" Since when did he have anything to do with anything?

She nodded and rolled her eyes playfully. "Ye-ah! He's been openly flirting with you for weeks at lunch and in 8th period drama! God, you're so dense sometimes."

"Seth likes me?" my mouth went dry. This life. Was. So. Weird.

Like I said before, Seth was one of Heather's good friends. But he was...popular, and gorgeous and blonde and tall and way out of my league and SO not my type. He was also shallow and vain like Heather.

As if on cue, Seth comes up to the table and slides in beside me. "Hey, babe."

I was almost going to say, "Don't call me that," but I realized that if I wanted to seem "normal" in this alternate dream reality I was in, I would have to play along. Even thought it hurt. Very. Very. Much.

I gave him a small smiled. "Hi."

"What's up?" he asked and suddenly started playing with a lock of my hair.

I almost wanted to gag. This was so weird. I felt like I was cheating on Casey. Even though in this world, he had a girlfriend named Noelle, apparently.

All my "friends" at the table and Marissa started giggling and nudging each other.

"Nothing much," I said absent-mindedly. I decided to ask him about his favorite subject. Himself. "What's up for you?"

I stared into his green eyes. Oh.

My.

God.

_I CAN'T STAND THIS!_

_This ISN'T MY LIFE!_

_OH MY GOD!_

_AAAAAAAARRGHHHH!_

I got up and said quickly, "Um. Um. I gotta go."

"Why?" everyone asked in unison.

I thought_, Because you're all ACTING SO WRONG and I HATE IT! I HATE YOU ALL LIKE THIS!_ But I said, "Bad sushi." I had lied. Totally random and unbelievable lie (because my lunch was a sandwich, not sushi) but whatever.

I ran out of the cafeteria and into the bathroom. And that's when I locked myself into a stall and cried my eyes out.


	4. Not in Kansas Anymore

**Chapter Four - **_**Not in Kansas Anymore**_

The next day was just as brutal. I was "popular". Seth kept flirting with me. Heather and Tenille and Monet were suddenly my friends. Marissa was shallow and snobby and materialistic and vain. And my birthday had gone terribly. I had gone to Heather's last night and endured the pain of having the exchange stupid gifts (Victoria's Secret makeup sets, Dolce & Gabbana surpasses, a gift card of $50 to Hollister, etc). I had to quickly grab some new jeans from my closet that still had the tag (from Abercrombie & Fitch) for Heather.

Anyway, yesterday was brutal and the next day was brutal too.

And so was the next day. And the next day. _And the next and the next and next and next. _It never ended. I was going crazy. After a whole week and a half of my new "life", I decided to take matters into my own hands and try to get my regular life back.

Obviously Marissa couldn't help. Neither could mom. Or Billy. And I went over to the senior highrise yesterday but apparently a Rita Keyes didn't even reside there. I asked Lana where Grams was and she said she had moved to a different senior high-rise where visitors weren't allowed. I wondered why. There had to be a reason.

Hudson! I hadn't visited Hudson yet! If there was anyone who would understand and help me, it would be Hudson.

I went over to his house on a Saturday evening. He was sitting there, on his porch, reading the news.

"Hudson!" I called gleefully. There he was! Hudson! With his yellow snakeskin boots and his bushy eyebrows and newspaper! And the porch!

He looked up. When he saw me he raised his eyebrows and smiled. "Why, hello there."

"Hudson, I am so glad you're here! I need your help!" I almost break down right there. I can stand this new life. _I can't stand it._

"You are? Sorry, do I know you?" he seemed very, very amused.

I nodded. "Yeah, of course Hudson, I—" I stopped dead in the middle of my sentence. He didn't know.

He didn't know me.

In this new reality, he didn't know me.

"No..." I corrected myself. "But someone told me you were really, really smart and...wise. So can you help me? I'm Sammy. Sammy Keyes."

He smiled big. "Of course I can help you, Sammy. Who exactly told you I was wise?"

I blinked. Oh god. "They would rather I don't say." I said, because I knew Hudson respected people's privacy.

He nodded. I knew it. I knew him too well.

"Actually," I took a deep breath, "I do know you. You and I have been friends for a long time."

He slowly placed his newspaper on the table. "Oh?"

"Yeah. We have. And you even took my best friend's brother Mikey here last summer as a Boot Camp. And I—"

Suddenly he is serious. "Look. If you think I am an old man with Alzheimer's and this is your idea of a practical joke, I am sorry to inform you that I—"

"No!" I felt a pang in my heart. I started crying. "I'm not playing a joke on you. Really. I can explain everything. Just let me, okay? Please?"

So he let me explain. I told him everything. How we were friends, my living situation, how I wished my mom never moved to L.A, how my life suddenly changed and flipped up.

After about half an hour of explaining this, he was silent.

After a long pause of silence, he said, "Hmm."

"Yeah?"

"I believe you."

"You do?" this was a start!

He nodded. "You need to tell me if you were in any accidents or medication before this 'second reality' this happened to you."

I thought about it. "No, I was standing and I was really mad and yelling that my dad was also Danny Urbanski's dad and I didn't want to move in with him."

He nodded. "And you blacked out?"

I nodded. "I blacked out and woke up to this."

He nodded again. "And apparently your best friend Marissa is different?"

I nodded.

"And you're boyfriend Casey has a different girlfriend?"

I nodded.

He tapped his fingers on the table. "Have you ever considered that by wishing your mother had stayed here in Santa Martina and not moved to L.A, it actually happened?"

I nodded sullenly. "I'm afraid I won't be able to change it back."

"Oh, I think you will."

"I will?"

He nodded. "I have a feeling that you are in a state that is teaching you how different and wrong your life would be if your mother had never moved. That her moving is actually what shaped your life. Changing one small thing in history like where you mother lives can change a lot of things after it. It's called the butterfly effect."

"Butterfly effect?"

He nodded. "Have you ever seen the movie _A Sound of Thunder_? Or read the novel of it by Ray Bradbury?"

I shook my head.

"A man goes back in time to do only research and he is told not to touch _anything_ that could change history. But he finds a butterfly and takes it back to the future with him because he thinks it won't cause any harm, and when he goes back to contemporary time he sees that by taking one little butterfly, the rest of the world can be very much affected. It caused lots of chaos."

"How? What happened?"

He gave me a secretive smile. "You'll have to watch the movie yourself to find out."

"How does that help me at all?"

He blinked. "I don't really know how you'll be able to go back to your real life with only the concept of the butterfly affect. And everything it too far deep then to just place the butterfly back."

"Place what butterfly?"

"Theoretically, Sammy. By _'placing the butterfly back'_ I mean sending your mother back to L.A, which is the initial thing that you have changed in history. It was the trigger to all the chaos that you tell me is going on in your life."

"Why can't I send my mother to L.A now? Why won't it give me back my life?"

"Because everyone is still different." he thought another minute then said, "I'm not sure about everything I'm telling you, because I have never heard of a case like this. But I'm guessing that since everyone is different because of one small thing your mother did, you will have to change them all back to get back to reality. If you just send your mother to L.A, it won't really make much of a difference since everything is already different and affected."

"Oh."

"Let's break your life apart." he said. "How everything has changed. Start with your best friend."

"Marissa?" I thought. "She and I became friends in the third grade, in reality. And she never really was obsessed with her money. In fact, she kind of hated being so rich. People used her. But in this world, she's shallow and materialistic and friends with all the people she'd regularly hate."

"Why do you think this is?"

I thought about it. "Because maybe since my mother never left, Heather met Marissa first somehow. Maybe Marissa was too young to realize Heather was using her for her money, and since I wasn't there to tell Marissa otherwise, Marissa was veered into believing that Heather was actually her legit friend."

He smiled another secret smile. "And now tell me about your boyfriend."

I felt my eyes get a little teary but pushed the tears back. "I... I guess since in this new reality, I'm friends with Heather and her groupie and so I never met Dot. And so I never went to Dot's house that day last year. And I never bumped into Casey and his friend Jake on the sidewalk and never saw my stolen board and since I never saw it, I never wanted it back. And so even if I went to that New Year's party or not, I never officially met Casey because he had no reason to talk to me. Doesn't he hate Heather? And I had no skateboard issue. That's what I'm assuming."

He smiled that smile again. "What I think you should do, Sammy, is try to make Marissa into realizing her materialistic ways isn't really like _her_. And you should also go to Casey and try to get him to like you for you again."

"Why should he like me?" I almost broke down. "In my _real_ life, he told me he loved me. On the one year anniversary of the day we met."

"Oh, did he?"

I nodded with my head down because I was blushing. And because I felt guilty. Because when Casey had said "I love you" to me, I had been too shy/nervous to say it back to him. Even though now I wished I did, because I might never be with him again.

What if I couldn't accomplish my tasks?

What if I was stuck in this false reality forever?


	5. Fool Me Once, Shame on You

**Chapter Five - **_**Fool Me Once, Shame on You**_

There he was. Casey. Walking. In the mall. Alone.

Perfect!

I hadn't even expected to see him here. I was going to call him first. I was going to go to the phonebook and find his number (because he might have a different number in this new world). But here he was. In person!

I walked over to him. Maybe he would recognize me. He's always seen more to me than meets the eye. He told me he loved me. Maybe. Just maybe. I could only hope.

"Hi," I said shyly as I walked in step beside him.

He stopped and looked over at me. Oh god, his clear brown eyes.

"Hi...?" he said. "Do I know you...?"

I needed to make a good impression so he doesn't think I am psycho.

"No, but I sort of know you."

"How's that?" he said with a sort of puzzled look.

"I...I..."

"Wait. I recognize you. You're one of my sister's friends aren't you?"

_NO. WE'RE ENEMIES_. "Yeah. We're friends."

"Ooooooookay. Is there anything you need?"

"No. No. I just—"

"Goodbye then." he turned to walk away.

I grabbed his arm. "Wait!"

"Wait what?" he asked getting impatient.

I started getting frantic. "You're my boyfriend." I said quickly.

Silence.

"Um... I think you've got the wrong person."

God, I was so stupid! I really, really wanted him to remember me.

"No! I just... I just.. I know you're my boyfriend... From another reality... We were going out and..."

He looked seriously pissed. "You're not really my sister's friend are you? You're just telling me crazy lies about being your boyfriend in another little world? Wow. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on you."

"Who _says_ that anymore?" I demanded.

He smirked. "No one. And that's why I said it. Because _I don't know you_. So leave me alone."

Man. He was such a jerk in this new world!

"Look, Casey, I know you."

He stepped back a little. "Yeah, right. You don't know me at all."

I shook my head, blushing. "I know that you...you love skateboarding and mountain biking and baseball and your favorite color is green and your last name is Acosta and your dad's name is Warren and your mom's is Candi and you're 15 years old and go to Santa Martina High School and you're #12 on the basketball team and your parents are divorced and—"

"My parents aren't divorced." he snapped. "What are you talking about? They got back together last year on my sister's birthday. And anyway, telling me all those facts about me doesn't prove anything. Except that you're a stalker."

"I'm not a stalker!" I protested. I stamped my foot. "You have to believe me. You're my only hope. Only one other person believes me and he says that...that...I don't know..."

Finally Casey said in a softer tone, "I don't know you at all. But if you seriously think you once had a different life and I was your boyfriend in it, okay. That's fine. Whatever. But this isn't your other life. This is _this_ life. And in _this_ life, I already have a girlfriend I love and a life of my own. Sorry if we had a 'thing' in you're...um..._'other life'_. But not anymore. And that's just the way it is." he gave me a sympathetic look before turning around and walking away.

Obviously he thought I was a mentally insane stalker girl who had her own mental little world going on in her head as she stalked him.

I marched right up to him. I was not insane, and I was _not_ a stalker.

"You told me you loved me." I said indignantly "Last December. On New Year's Eve. It was exactly one year from the day we met."

He stopped and stared right into my eyes. He didn't say a word and suddenly he was grabbing his head groaning, "Woah. Woah. I suddenly had this weird vision thing and it gave me a killer headache."

"It's because you remember!" I started jumping a little to reach his height. "You remember! You remember! _Remember_? You said you loved me and—"

He shook his head again. WOULD HE QUIT SHAKING HIS HEAD? "Having a small freak-vision that lasts less than three seconds doesn't mean I remember anything." then he started walking away again. "Please. Leave me alone!"

This new Casey was such a jerk! And so ignorant! And frustrating! BAH!

There had to be another way to get to him. There had to.

But first I needed to find Marissa.


	6. Vanity Affair

**Chapter Six - **_**Vanity Affair**_

The rain was getting harder and harder and I was sick of it. I was practically drenched had it not been for the flimsy protection of Lana's orange and red flowered Macy's umbrella. I suddenly missed Grams' giant Hagrid-sized umbrella. I was getting depressed thinking about it.

Marissa opened the door to her home. She saw me and smiled. "Ohey! Wasn't expecting you to be here."

Ohey, I wasn't expecting me to be here either.

"Just let me in." I groaned. "We need to talk." the Macy's umbrella flipped up and rain drenched me from every each side. Wah wah my life sucks, I'm being rained on and I am in a completely different world from the real one. Give me some cyanide pills and let's make this quick and easy. _Sarcasm_.

Marisa let me in and I took off the flimsy blue North Face I had found in "my" closet at home and the stupid Casey-eye-colored Ugg boots.

Stupid shoes. Why do you have to go remind me of Casey-who-I-will-never-have every time I see you! Argh. Last thing on my nonexistent to-do list is Suicide.

_**Sammy's Nonexistent To-do List:**_

_-Try to get Marissa to believe me and help me_

_-Try to get Casey to also remember and help me_

_-Report this all to Hudson_

_-Get back to regular life_

_-If all else fails, KILL MYSELF._

Okay so I'm being overdramatic. So what? Because you know what, if 13-year-old Juliet Capulet can be overdramatic because her 15-year-old "love of her life" is supposedly dead, and kill herself because of it, then so can I. And Juliet claimed she "loved" Romeo even though she met him at a masquerade party where she barely knew him and the first thing they ever did was make out in a corner and then later confess their love to each other at a balcony that same night. How cheap and lame is that? And sure, I was 13 when I met Casey but it took us a while to get to the stage where we "love" each other. But now he doesn't even remember it.

"You okay Sammy? You seem out of it."

EVERYONE NEEDS TO STOP ASKING ME THAT! "Yes, I'm okay. And I really have something to tell you."

"Okay, so tell me."

Silence.

"'!"

She blinked. Then she cracked up. "Talk slower, Sam," she said. "I couldn't understand a word you were saying."

So I told he everything. From how we met to the wish I made to how everything changed."

She blinked when I finished. "Sammy. Um. Casey was never your boyfriend."

"IS THAT ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY AFTER THAT WHOLE EXPLANATION!" I freaked on her.

She raised her hands up in panic. "No! No! It's just...your 'real' life you were describing to me was...just...different. Like, Heather is one of our best friends! How can she be our enemy in this 'real' life? It all makes no sense."

Oh. My. God. I think I am going to throw up. Dry heave. Melt away into a puddle of tears, blood, puke, and guts.

Okay, sorry about the disgusting mental picture. But still. I want to just...

"Marissa... Please." I started crying. "You're the only one who...please believe me..."

"I think you're on drugs." she finally stated. "And I am going to tell your mom unless you leave right now and fix your problems yourself. Don't. Do. Drugs."

I stared at her. Drugs? Really? That was a new one. "I'm not on—"

"Get out of my house!" she pointed to the door. "I have a reputation to maintain, Sammy, we are part of the most coveted clique in the whole school. Every girl wants to be us and every boy wants us! And if you're going to turn all Stoner-Girl-With-Emo-Problems on us, we can't have you! Get out! Fix your own issues and maybe we won't have to kick you out!"

So this is how life was as a "popular" girl. They can decide to "kick you out" any time of the day?

This is BS! Completely!

"You can't do that!" I gasped. "I'm your best friend. You'd just *dump* me because you think I'm ruining your reputation?"

She blinked. "Best friends don't ruin each other's reps. And if you get in the way of me and my Status, then yes, you're gone."

"Fine!" I screamed like a psychotic bitch. "KICK ME OUT!" I was sick of this. "Where is Heather? And Tenille? And Monet? Tell them you've kicked me out. Tell them—"

"You're not kicked out yet! STOP IT! Stop being a freak!" she was on the verge of crying. "Sammy!" I heard a hint of Old-Marissa in her voice.

"Marissa?"

"Get out of my house." she was back to New-Snobby-Marissa.

I grabbed my coats and boots and went outside without even putting them on. I sat on her porch and put them on and then began trudging my way home.

I passed my Heather's house. I remember Casey telling me his parents were together again. So if Heather lived here it meant Casey did too. This was my only hope.

Okay, I know I keep saying "this is my only hope" but I'm desperate. I keep needing new "only hopes".

I rang the doorbell despite the fact that I was soaked every inch of my clothing and body.

Heather answered the door. When she saw me she cracked up. "Sammy!" she laughed. "Get in! You need new clothes! Where is your umbrella? Sometimes you are too funny."

I entered her house. "Marissa is not in a good mood."

"Figures. She's probably on PMS."

I rolled my eyes as I followed her to her room. We passed by a room with the door wide open. It looked like a guy's room! Casey's room! It had to be!

I headed inside Heather's room and she rummaged her closet in search of clothes for me. Meanwhile I plotted ways in my mind on how to confront Casey and have the perfect words and pose and gestures and comebacks and explanations ever to win him over and have him remember/believe me. But suddenly he walked into room and I was still in my drenched skinny jeans and shirt that was sticking to every inch of my skin, and all my plotting went down the drain.

_EPIC FAIL_, went my mind.

"Oh my god," went my mouth.

Casey stared at me. "So you ARE her friend?"

Heather turned around. "Jesus, Casey, at least knock!"

"The door was open." he snapped back.

Heather threw me a pair of Pink shorts and an Abercrombie hoodie. Did she eve shop anywhere else? Ugh.

"Why are you wet?" he asked me.

"Because you're a jerk." I snapped back. That made no sense, but I wanted to say it.

"Hey, it's not my fault you're soaking wet and I'm not."

"You're a jerk." I repeated. I poured, "You didn't believe me."

"You stalk me!"

"I DON'T!"

"You stalk me and daydream about me as your boyfriend in your imaginative reality world or whatever."

"Get over yourself." I scoffed. Why was New-Casey such a jerk? Old-Casey was so not like this.

Casey smirked and stalked off. "Why should I deny what's true?"

Ugh. I hated seeing him like this. I hated it, hated it, hated it. I wanted to get up and smack him. Tell him he's better than that. Better than being a jerk. It's not him. But Heater was here and if I tried to talk to him like that she'd be weirder out.

Ugh. Again.

Suddenly, like fate or whatever, her phone rang.

"It's Danny!" she squealed. She waved me off. "This might take a few minutes, why don't you go get something to eat downstairs?"

I agreed wholeheartedly knowing that this is my only chance of talking to Casey without him blowing me off. Thunder rumbled outside as I went down the hall. His door was closed. I didn't knock.

"HEY!" he snapped. He was on his bed, reading Sports Illustrated. "Why don't you knock? Jeez!"

I rolled my eyes. "Like it matters whether I knock or not." I placed my hand on the frame of his doorway. This was exactly how his real room looked like back in my real life.

"Please listen to me." I begged. "You have to."

"I'm NOT your boyfriend for the millionth time!" he snapped. "Leave me alone! Can't you see I'M NOT INTERESTED!" he yelled the last part. Loud. And clear. Clear enough to make it hurt. Maybe it wasn't the REAL Casey saying those words, but it was still him. Is this how we would've been if he had never met me? Would his jerk friends and sister and "girlfriend" get so stuck on him that he would eventually just evolve into one of them?

"NEITHER AM I!" I screamed back. It was a lie, but I was too upset to care. All I wanted was my old life back. Why had I made that dumb wish?

He was silent. "You're not?"

"I...please listen." I begged again. "This is not you. I met you two years ago at Taylor's New Year's party. And we were going out. But I made a dumb wish that changed history and now I'm stuck in this life and apparently you don't know me anymore. I was Heather's archenemy in my old life. I'm her BEST FRIEND here! My best friend is shallow and mean and not herself and now I think he likes her popularity more than me. And...and Seth likes me! _WHY DOES HE LIKE ME? I HATE HIM!" _I screamed the last part.

"Shhh!" Casey winced.

I stepped into the hall for a moment to make sure Heather wasn't eavesdropping. I heard her voice on the phone in her room, "...Oh my gosh, yeah, Danny! That would be _so_ cool!..." a pause. Then over-exaggerated high-pitched laughter. "You are TOO funny, Danny!" and some more blabber.

I rolled my eyes and stepped back into Casey's room shutting the door behind me.

"She'll be a long time if she's on the phone with Danny." Casey pointed out. "Just tell me the whole story now and let's see how much more mental I think you are."

So I told him. Everything. I had told Hudson and Marissa. And now I was telling him. The three people who were the closest to me back in my old life.

After I was done, he whistled.

Déjà vu much!

Then he said, "Your story is so elaborate and well thought out that I actually believed it for a moment."

"And...?"

"And I realize my mistake. You're not mental. You're just a freaky stalker psycho who's obsessed with me and that girl Marissa and are trying to believe we loved you in some alternate reality. We're not falling for that. I've lived 15 years without being so stupid."

I smacked my forehead. "And what, you think I'm going to come kill you if you don't love me? Like the girl in The Roommate?"

He blinked. "Okay, get out of my room."

"I AM NOT A KILLER. And besides, you could probably take me down with one hand."

He grinned vainly, an expression I have never seen on him before. "I could, couldn't I?"

I sighed and hung my head. This was pathetic. Why was I even trying? It was never going to work. He was a jerk and super conceited and too thick-headed to get anything through his head. He was the complete opposite of the real Casey.

I peeked up at him. His smile (in this case it was more of a smirk) and his chocolatey brown eyes, the same brown hair with the reddish tint...the faint freckles.

I wanted to scream.

He was still Casey Acosta. Even if wasn't, he still was.


	7. Hate, Rage, Lies, and Insecurities

**Chapter Seven - **_**Hate, Rage, Lies, and Insecurities**_

After that painful conversation with Casey, I was back in Heather's room. At least all her cow-print madness had been abolished. Now she was stuck on zebra-print.

Heh.

It amused me for some odd unknown reason.

"So. You and Casey. What's up with that?" she smirked.

I blushed but said, "There's nothing between us. You know that."

He sighed, crossing her legs on her bed. "I wish there was, though. I hate Noelle. You suit him more."

"I do?"

"Yeah. You do. Besides," she leaned forward, the tips of her French-manicured nails resting on her chin thoughtfully, "you are so much prettier than Noelle."

I snorted. "Doubt it." woah. Did Heather really think some good things about me?"

"Okay, you're right. Noelle is prettier in the skanky, faker way. You have a natural beauty."

I almost started laughing out loud. I could not keep a straight face. "Natural beauty"? Since when did she become Miss Fairy Godmother?

"Tell me something real."

"Like about how I'm nervous that Danny doesn't like me?" her face hung, her stick-straightened red hair hung down past her face. The golden light of the lamp struck on her face. I'm no photographer but I wished I had a camera to get this one scene. She looked really pretty...really serene. Something I've never seen in the usual-fiery Heather.

"I'm sure he likes you." I said, trying to be nice to her. I felt kind of sorry for her. Who knew popular people had so many insecurities? First Marissa, now her. Sure, they were shallow. But maybe it's because they haven't been taught otherwise. Maybe it's because all the friends they've had are just like them. Maybe they need more non-shallow people to be their friends. Maybe it would balance out their priorities.

Maybe.

"How are you sure?" she said, wiping off a tear. Outside the rain splattered hard against her window. Why was it constantly raining? It barely rained this in Santa Martina. We get the occasional shower but never a full-out thunderstorm this huge. It frightened me. Kinda. What frightened me more was the fact that I might never get out of this hell.

"Sometimes I feel like Danny is using me." she rattled on. "Like he would only go out with me because of who I am."

"And who are you?" I asked softly.

She started crying more. Woah. So not Heather-behavior. "I'm shallow." she weeped. "I'm shallow and a bitch."

"No, you're not." I pressed. Yes, she WAS! But maybe I could fix that.

"I am!" she sobbed on. "I'm so shallow that...that...that... THAT I'M A KIDDIE POOL!" [A/N: The "kiddie pool" analogy taken from Vampire Diaries tv show, not me].

"You're not a kiddie pool!" I said. "Heather, the first step to fixing a problem is admitting you have one. You just did that."

"I don't want to CHANGE!" she snapped. Then she blinked and we stared at each other. Lightning flashed.

"Well, you don't want Danny to just like you because you're shallow and 'popular', right?"

"Maybe." she sniffed.

"So do the fool-proof plan. Don't BE shallow. And if you aren't those things, how could he like you only for them, right? Be yourself."

"It is myself. And if I stop, I won't be popular. I'll be uncool, like Samm—"

"Like who?" I stiffened.

She shook her head, looking wide-eyed and scared. "That's weird. I just had a sudden vision of be hating you because you were uncool or something...but the weird this is, you and I have been friends since the fourth grade and I have never hated you. You've always been popular. So why did I have have that vision? It seemed so real...like I was there...taunting you. Wow. You're my FRIEND. I would never be that meant to you."

Oh my god! Maybe this was a sign! She had a vision of my real life! Maybe this was some sort of sign that I was on the right track, that I was one step closer to getting back to my real home and life. But what had I been doing? Helping Heather be better?

Helping Heather be a better person! That was it! I was making her change for the better! Or, at least trying.

I needed to keep on trying. Maybe then even when I get back to my real life, she'll be nice there too. One can only hope.

"It's nothing," I insisted. "Probably because you're so upset right now, your brain is thinking weird things." I knew my theory made no sense but Heather was stupid enough to believe it.

After a moment of silence she said, "But I was being really cruel to you in my vision. I can't imagine how you were feeling."

"Probably wanting to punch your lights out," I joked.

She stopped and stared at me.

"I was kidding!" I laughed nervously. Not really.

She cracked a smile. "So if you punched me, I'd probably want to claw your face off."

"And I'd want to stomp you into the ground."

"And I would want to tear every vein out of your body, one by one—"

"Okay! Too gruesome!" I laughed.

She laughed too.

And then we both burst into peals of laughter, as the thunderous roar died down to a quiet growling and the vigorous rain slowed to steady drizzling against her window.


	8. Every Once in a While

**Chapter Eight - **_**Every Once in a While**_

"Mom, I'm home." it felt so weird coming out of my mouth. In a plastic Forever21 bag Heather had given me, my soaking wet clothes were in it. I headed to the dryer (I had given myself an extensive house tour the other day I don't have to ask my mom "Where is the bathroom?" all the time) and put my clothes in the drying machine.

"You're finally back!" Lana called. "I'm in the kitchen making homemade pizza. Would like to help?"

I was about to say "No," and head upstairs to my "room" so I could brood about my new life some more, but then I realized if I ever did get my life back, I would never get to see my mother in an apron or making pizza ever. So instead I said, "Sure!" and went into the kitchen.

There was Lady Lana, her brown roots showing through her dyed blonde hair at the top of her head, flour stuck to her face all over and an apron with little white daisies painted all over.

It was such an adorable sight. I really wish I had a camera. First the Heather scene, now this? It was too much. I was suddenly really happy.

She held out a bag of frozen shredded Parmesan cheese out to me. "Sprinkle this all over." she smiled. "Evenly."

"Parmesan?" I asked. "Is pizza supposed to have Parmesaan cheese only?"

She shrugged. "I don't think so, but this recipe I got from online says it does so it might be a different type of pizza. Either way, we're making it!" she squealed the last part.

I smiled and stuck my hand into the bag if shredded cheese and I watched as Lana— no, I mean my mom, used a butter knife to spread the thick red sauce all over the flat circular dough.

"Time for the cheese!" she said when she has evened out all the sauce.

I began sprinkling the cheese as my mom shaped the crust on the edges, rattling on about how the man at the grocery store was telling her about his daughter in the mental hospital and how he missed her. "It's so sad," she said, looking at me with her big brown eyes. I had green eyes. I wondered if my father— Danny's dad— had green eyes like me. Probably. Mom continued, "It's sad because I have you as a daughter and if I ever lost you like that... I don't know how I would survive. Even if you were only in a mental hospital and not dead...I would be grateful that you are alive, but I would miss you so, so much."

Woah.

"I'd miss you too." I said and found myself tearing up, remembering how I'd felt when she had left me for L.A (in my real life, of course. Not this fake one.)

She hugged me, getting Heather's Abercrombie & Fitch all saucy and floury.

"Ooh those aren't your clothes are they?" she tapped her chin.

"They're Heather's."

"Sorry! Go out them in the wash immediately. I would feel terrible if we wrecked her clothes. She is such a sweet girl."

Yeah, I thought as I watched my mom slide the pizza tray into the oven, Heather's as sweet as a kitten."

Until the kitten pulled out her claws and sliced your face off, ahem. (No offense to Dorito! I still love him very much!)

I turned around and clomped up the steps to change out of Heather's clothes. Today had been a very unsuccessful day with Marissa and Casey. But I had progressed with Lana— er, my mom— and with Heather (a little), right?

Right?

Tomorrow I'm focusing on Marissa. Because if Heather can manage to find a (teeny, tiny, itsy bitsy) heart under all her piled of "Popularity", vanity, shallowness and jerk-ness (I think it's immature to swear, so I'm not going to use the same word Heather used for herself for "jerk". Just saying), then Marissa HAD to be able to come through. She had to.

If she didn't then she'd be stuck like this, and I would never let myself live if I knew that I had let her become like his.


	9. Figment of My Imagination

**Chapter Nine - **_**Figment of My Imagination**_

I had walked this far to East Jasmine to talk to her. I would not let her slam the door on me. She better not.

She opened the door and blinked on me. "You're not on drugs this time?"

"I was never in drugs." take deep breaths, Sammy. Resist the urge to punch your best friend in the age. Even though your best friend is a snobby stuck-up materialistic rhymes-with-witchy girl.

She raised her eyebrows. "Fine. What do you need?"

Another deep breath. "Marissa, you have to believe my story."

"I can't. I refuse to believe mumbo-jumbo crap like that. It's non-ethical."

I rolled my eyes. "You don't even know what 'non-ethical' means, Marissa."

"So? I'm still not believing your bull—"

"Please." I locked my eyes with hers. "You really have to believe me. It's the only way I can get back to my real life, and...it's the only way you'll be better."

"Better?"

"Since when did you care so much about your parent's money, huh?" I asked softly.

Her grip on the brass doorknob tighten. I saw her knuckles get even whiter.

"You're not supposed to know this, but in the future you lose all your money. You become middle-class. And what will you do then? Buy me BCBG sunglasses for my birthday or instead spend your money on wiser things like, for example, things the birthday person would actually want. Just because it's expensive doesn't make it a wonderful gift. Sometimes the thought is what counts more."

She stammered, "But...but you've always liked BCBG. You've always liked the same things I do. You've always let me buy anything and everything for you. You've always encouraged me to use my money while it lasts, right?"

I stopped short. What? I did? Did the Sammy in this new world really tell her all that stuff in then past?

"That's not true. I was stupid then. I didn't realize these things. Now I do. I want you to see them, too." I urged. Marissa looked down.

"In the future your family starts falling apart. Your parents start fighting all the time and spending no time at home. Your dad has a gambling problem. And you have no one to talk to about all this but me. But then you and Mikey start bonding more and..." I shrugged, "I don't know. When you and Mikey started bonding more, I saw this happiness in you I've never seen before. Like you were perfectly content with having a brother you could be close to. That money didn't matter as family did."

She blinked and looked up at me. "Is this all true?"

I nodded slowly. Suddenly I was getting it myself. The more I talked the more I got it. The more I understood how Marissa's parents should have solved their problem long ago. The more I understood her connection with Mikey.

The more I understood my mother.

My mother hadn't known. She hadn't realized that family matters more than anything. Money can buy you things, but if you have no family to be with, what's the point of having things? Why would you want money when you have no one at all?

Why didn't I just tell my mother I missed her? Why hadn't I just gone to Heather before and tried to befriend her and be nicer to her instead if always trying to get revenge on everything she did for me?

I started crying right then. This trip to this "new" world was making me realize things in a whole new perspective. I would seriously have to change things when I got back.

But if I never got to go back, I may as well fix things here and make things better for myself. That way, if I have to stay in this reality forever, then at least I'll have made it a better place.

Marissa stepped outside of the doorway suddenly. "Sammy..." she looked like she was about to cry, too.

"Yeah?"

"You're crazy, you're seriously crazy... But for some odd reason I want to believe every word you say."

"Why?"

"I just had this weird vision-image in my head. Like déjà vu except I don't ever remember it happening. But it was...I saw my parents fighting. You're right."

She was seriously going to believe me? This was going better than I had expected.

"Look, I still think you're crazy but your words still have some wisdom." she laughed a little. "I'm not saying I'm going to suddenly start following your preachings right away, but maybe I'll slowly stop trying to be...such a...so..."

"Materialistic?"

She nodded. "Just look at me," she said, "I'm a terrible person."

"Don't say that." Marissa was the last thing from "terrible". She was Marissa. MY Marissa. MY best friend Marissa. And I loved her too much to hate her. Even if she was going to be like this.

I missed the old Marissa so much. What if I never got her back? I started crying all over again. Look at the baby I've become. I've become a softie.

"Please stop crying...Sammy...Sammy, please stop crying. We're all right here waiting. Oh god oh god..." Marissa was whimpering now.

"What did you just say?" I asked. What did she mean "we're all right here waiting"? What?

"Nothing." Marissa blinked. "I just said 'Don't cry'. That's all...why?"

"You said something else. You said you all are waiting...or something."

She shook her head. "I said 'don't cry'. Nothing else. You okay? Maybe you really are going crazy."

I laughed nervously. Must have been a figment of my imagination.

Or I must really be going crazy.


	10. New Friend, Old Enemy

**Chapter Ten - **_**New Friend, Old Enemy**_

"I broke up with Noelle, Heather. Dammit. I broke up with her."

I looked up and so did Heather. We were painting our nails. Heather's idea, not mine. I was at her house on a Friday night. It's been a matter of two and a half weeks since I've been brought to this new world, and I haven't found a way to get out. And Hudson isn't home these days and I have no way to reach him. Everything is...weird. And different. I want my old back. What is everyone doing in my old life?

"You broke up with Noelle?" Heather asked, a small smirk forming on her face.

Casey catches my eye for a millisecond. "Yeah. She...I don't know. It's not like I wanted to. Well, I sort of did. Because every time I was with her, I got this major headache. And whenever she even left the room the headache would leave. And so every time we were out somewhere I'd be dying of a killer headache. And if we'd kiss, my head would feel like it's going to explode. It was brutal. And then I just started feeling like I didn't like her as much. Ever since I—"

"What?" Heather demanded when he stopped himself. "What? Ever since you what?"

He shook his head but glanced over at me super-quick. "Nothing. It's nothing." then he left the room.

"He totally likes you," Heather gushed the minute he left the room.

"No, he doesn't." I said dryly.

"Okay, maybe he doesn't. But he should!"

"Why do you want him to like me so much?" I snapped, because I hated the topic of Casey. It hurt to remember how he used to be. And he didn't seem to be changing a lot...

Except why had he broken up with Noelle? That was strange. For New Casey, it was.

"I need a drink." I said when I saw Heather's somber face at my sudden snap. "I think the nail polish fumes are getting to me."

She smiled a little. "Thank God, I thought you were going to start screaming at me."

I gave her a small sad smile. "Not even close"

I was pathetic. This life was pathetic. I cannot live like this. Without Casey. And having to paint my nails Pirouette Pink. What kind of nail polish company named their nail polish Pirouette Pink? Ugh.

I headed downstairs into their kitchen. For some reason I haven't run into Warren or Candi at all on my trip to this New Reality (I have started using capital letters for New Reality because I say it so much). It was a good thing I haven't met them yet— I'm betting Candi probably looked like Sarah Palin and Warren like Jake Gyllenhaal. After all, this New Reality was so twisted I wouldn't be surprised if Warren turned up as some smoking hot celebrity (which he wasn't in real life. In real life he was more like a Middle-aged Celebrity Wannabe) and Candi turning out to be rung for first female President of the United States.

So it was a good thing. A very good thing. That I haven't met them here yet.

Casey was ironically in the kitchen. I ignored him as I got myself a glass from the cabinet and used the refrigerator water button thing to get myself water.

"Hey," his voice was behind me. I whipped around.

"God, you scared me. Don't do that." then I turned back around and continued to wait for tue water to fill up.

"What's up?"

I lifted the glass away from the fridge and peered at him weirdly.

"Are you still mad at me for being a jerk?" he complained. "Look, I know I was a jerk. But you know? You were the reason I broke up with Noelle. Not really _you_ but more of what you said to me. How I can be better than this... How I'm a jerk and stuff and... I felt stupid and lousy. A random girl I barely know just comes barging into my life telling me I'm an asshole? Yeah, so I felt lousy. And stupid."

"You're not lousy and stupid." I felt like these I was always listening to people complain about me and telling them they weren't stupid and shallow and jerks, even though they were. Sigh. My life sucks now. I've become a human consultant.

"I wanted to make it up to you." he said. "For making me realize what a scumbag I was being. Can we just hang out tomorrow afternoon? Like just me and you? I'll take to a movie, or whatever."

"Oh, really." it wasn't a question. Just an _Oh Really. _

He nodded. "Really. And it's not like you and I are, um, friends or anything. I barely know you. The reason I'm taking you out is to thank you for your very random but accurate advice or whatever."

I blinked.

God.

No.

"No."

"Why?" he demanded so suddenly that it frightened me. "Do you not like me? I thought you were obsessed with me."

I rolled my eyes and took a sip of water. "Please. You're still vain like before. Like I said, get over yourself."

"No! I asked you out and you're supposed to accept! And not because I _like_ you, but because I want to thank you. It's a one-time thing. I won't leave you alone until you say yes because then I'll feel guilty if I never do anything to thank you."

"Since when did *you* become Mr. Do-Gooder? Leave me alone." I took another sip of water, very amused by his desperateness. To be honest, I did kinda want to go. To see what it felt like to be out with Casey one last time...maybe this is the only chance I'll get to win him over, even though he claims he doesn't like me and probably doesn't. Compared to a girl like Noelle, I'm a ragdoll. A ragdoll with Pirouette Pink nails and a sky-blue Hollister t-shirt and black Abercrombie & Fitch pants I had both found in "my closet" at "my home". I was sooooo getting sick of Hollister and Abercrombie but it was either these or the sleeveless golden sheer and silk Alice + Olivia top Marissa had lent me a week ago for no reason. ("It'll look cure with your New Religion dark-wash skinny jeans I got you last Christmas," she had said, "And plus I'm trying to spend less money so instead of buying you something new I'm giving you something I already have.") So I had decided to stick with the Hollister. At least it was a t-shirt and not some fancy alertness thing you'd most likely see on The Hills or 90210 than here in Santa Martina.

Casey answered my question. "I'm not a do-gooder! I'm just trying to be nice to you. Jesus."

"Fine." I snapped. "But stop acting like it's a huge hassle on you."

He smirked. "What if it is?"

"Then I won't go."

"You just said you would." his smirk got bigger.

"Would you _quit_ it?" I slammed the glass down on the counter so hard that it made a loud noise, silencing both me and Casey. The kitchen was silent for a moment until he said with a (very adorable) smirk, "Till we meet again." and left the kitchen.

Déjà vu much? Again? Ugh. I was now remembering the Renaissance Faire when he had kissed my hand and said that "tip we meet again" line. Where did that Casey go?

I went back to where Heather was in her room. "What took you so long?" she demanded while flipping through a Teen Vogue magazine.

"I also needed to use the bathroom." I said. "No biggie."

She looked up at me. "So I've been taking your advice into consideration."

"What?"

"Like, to be less shallow and stuff? Remember?"

"Oh. Yeah. That. Okay, and...?"

"And I think I'm going to *try* to be better. It won't be easy but I wil try."

"You are?" I almost squealed. "And why did you suddenly decide you wanted to be better?"

"That vision kept popping back into my head. About how I was taunting you. I still can't believe it. You're too nice and my friend and I...I just would never do that to you. That person in the vision is...cruel. I hope she never exists. I hope someone like her is never born into me. I want to change before I become like that. Before I hurt people who don't deserve it."

Wow. I found myself getting teary. If I ever went back to my real life, I think I would kind of miss this Heather as a friend. Isn't that weird? I'd miss Heather. She's not so had in this new life. Just misunderstood. Maybe she's like that in real life too. Insecure and misunderstood. Maybe she takes of her insecurity problems by putting other down so she feels better about herself. It might not all be her fault. If I ever get back to the real world, and if Heather is still Evil Heather, I'm going to seriously start trying to fix her. By first becoming her friend.


	11. This Way to Your Life

**Chapter Eleven - **_**This Way to Your Life**_

"Well, that was pretty good." I said as Casey and I walked out of the theater right after seeing I Am Number Four with super-hot Alex Pettyfer in it. And nothing romantic or awkward had happened between me or Casey yet. So that obviously meant he didn't like me in this New World. But that's okay. He may not have the same feelings for me as he once did, but just looking at his chocolatey eyes brings back all the great memories. By being in this New World for four weeks now, I have learned to accept the fact that I am never going back. I cry at night but I don't try to mope in the day. I try to swallow my tears and loneliness and live in the day. Make something out of Spring break. Did I mention it is already Spring break? My life seems to be flying by in this New World.

Casey nodded. "It actually was a cool movie." he blinked at me. "You okay? You seem out of it."

Ugh. If I got a dollar for every time someone asked me if I was "okay", I'd be richer than the McKenzes.

"I'm fine. Just thinking."

"About what? Me?" he grinned. "I know I'm just so cool like that."

"Legit." I said sarcastically as I rolled my eyes. Every time he seemed to get a little better, he messed it up by saying something dumb like that. The only good thing was his vain-ness has very greatly decreased in the past few weeks since I have met New Casey. At least he's trying to change.

"You know, you're pretty legit too." he said as he was walking me home. "I actually don't mind you anymore."

"Funny, because you've never said my name in your life. I don't even think you know it."

He stopped short. His eyes widened. "That's weird. I do know it. But every time I think of it, I feel like I've known you somewhere before. Sammy."

"Wait. What? What do you mean?"

"Sammy, I love you. Okay? I wish this didn't have to happen to you. I wish you would get better. Please. I...I really do love you."

"What?" I repeated. "You WHAT?"

Casey looked at me like I was crazy. "I said your name is Sammy and what number is your house?"

I shook my head, getting freaked out. "No. You said you loved me. And for me to get better. What does that mean? Why did you say it?" I demanded.

"Ummm..." he started laughing. "I never said any of those things. You have serious delusional problems. See a doctor." I could tell he wasn't lying about not saying that thing... But this has happened with me and Marissa too! A few weeks ago I was talking to New Marissa and she told me not to cry and to "wake up and everyone is waiting for me". Then when I asked her why she said it, she said she didn't know what I was talking about and that she had never said any of that. So why were these people saying things and then not remembering they ever said them?

"Just take me home." I said coldly to Casey. "I'm tired. And my house number is 1398."

He took me back home and when we were on my porch he faced me.

"Well thanks for coming tonight. I feel like I'm done owing you. That was our only and last date ever. But it was fun, so, yeah. Bye, now."

"Bye." I opened the door and entered the house. Then I went to sleep crying.

Missing my old Casey who would walk me to the bottom of the fire escape then kiss me and wait until I'm all the way up and safe before he left.

I missed the my old Casey who would joke, "Now I can't wait for _next_ weekend!" instead of New Casey who said, "This is our _ONLY_ date, ok?"

I just missed my old Casey. So, so much it hurt.

I wanted to go back home. More than anything, I missed the apartment and I missed sneaking down and up the fire escape and I missed being broke all the time and I missed the old Marissa and the old Casey and I missed Holly and Dot because in this New World, I had never even met them. Holly wasn't even at the Pup Parlor. And I'm pretty sure Dot didn't even go to William Rose Junior High. And I also missed Grams so, so much. And her oatmeal. Why did I miss her oatmeal so much? Most of all I missed my life. I missed being the raggedy, torn-up, informal, troublemaker I had been before. I missed being Sammy in my real life. This New World was killing me. My life was terrible. Before this, I had never even seen how lucky I was just to be surrounded by people who love me so much. And how much I loved them.

I wept into my pillow.

It's been weeks and there is no way out. But there has to...there has to be a way out.


	12. Sneaky Little Fly on the Wall

**Chapter Twelve - **_**Sneaky Little Fly on the Wall**_

"She's not okay," my mother said on the phone. "She needs to _see_ someone. A professional."

She listened a moment and then said, "I understand but I'm worried...Robert! Please _listen_. Don't you know anyone who could else?"

Robert was my mom's boyfriend. And by eavesdropping on a lot of her phone calls with him, I realized that he was one who had gotten Mom her job. What was her job? Who knew? And how she earned her money? Again, who knew? Robert was a good guy because I've met him and he's not like, a creeper or something but still.

Mom was telling him how I needed professional help. Because I cried every night. Because I was going crazy.

According to her, not to me.

Anyway listening to her phone conversation upset me even more. This wasn't even my real _mom_ talking.

Suddenly I heard her say, "I just really hope she wakes up. Why did I have to upset her on her birthday? Why am I such a bad mother?" she started crying. "She never deserved this life. It's not her fault. Wake up, Samantha. Please wake up!" she was weeping now. "My little baby... My little daughter... My..."

Wait. WHAT? Wake up? Why was everyone _saying_ that!

I ran down the stairs and jumped into the living room where she was sitting. But she was just sitting on the couch nibbling on a cookie (a _cookie_? _Lana_? Hmm...) and reading _Reader's Digest_. Since when did Mom read _Reader's Digest_?

She was not crying, or even looking like she had been crying. But just two seconds ago she had...

"Mom! Were you crying? I heard you crying about something about me waking up? I'm _awake_!" I waved my hands all over.

She looked at me. "Samantha, I never said anything about you waking up. And I was certainly not _crying_!"

I blinked at her. She was right. And the phone was too far from her for her have put it down before I jumped in on her. "Weren't you on the phone with Robert?"

"Um..." she looked nervous like I had heard her conversation (which I had, but I wasn't going to let her know that) and she said, "I was on the phone with him about five minutes ago. Why?"

"I heard him call. It was his ringtone soooooo..."

"Oh!" she lit up again. "Yes, I was talking with him. But I was not crying. At all. Why?"

"I _really_ heard you cryi—" I stopped myself before she thought I was even more mental. "Never mind. I was joking. Ha-ha-ha. It was just a dream." I turned my back on her and went back upstairs making funny faces at myself to keep myself from screaming.

It was time to go be a fly on the wall somewhere else.

But where? Who did I need to spy on? Not Heather because she told me everything anyway. Not Marissa because there is nothing good she'd say. Or useful. Useful for me to get out of this hellhole.

Even though I knew I was never going to be able to get out. I was here forever. All because of a stupid wish.

A wish! I needed to wish myself back! Maybe that would work.

"I wish I was back!" I said aloud. "I wish was back in my real life." I waited. I said it ten more times. Nothing. Nada. Ugh.

"Sammy? Are you talking to yourself?" Mom called up.

Why did I keep doing stupid things in front of Mom that made me seem even more mentally insane? "I'm just practicing my Spanish homework out loud to pronounce the words!" I called back down. How do you say _"worst excuse ever_" in Spanish?

I sighed. Life sucked here. If I had a gun I'd have shot myself in the head by now. But I keep wondering if there is a way out. I needed to write things out all to organize my thoughts.

_**Random Thoughts to Organize**_

_1. Marissa said "Stop crying and we are all waiting," to me and then denied it._

_2. Marissa had a vision of her parents fighting._

_3. Heather had a vision of her hating me._

_4. Casey said whenever he thought of my name it reminded him of "something else"._

_5. Casey said he "loved me and to wake up" and then denied he said it._

_6. Mom said she wanted me to "wake up" and then denied it._

So what did all these things mean?

Oh. My. _God_! How could I have been so stupid! "Wake up"! They keep telling me to "wake up"! So this _is_ a dream? Or I'm dead? Or in a coma?

How will I ever get out? I've been in this Alternate World for about one month now. God, oh God. There needs to be another way.

Oh. My. God. _Again_! What if I've become a vegetable in real life and my whole body stopped functioning but my brain still works and I'm stuck in this world _forever_? I imagined myself as a tiny little person in the Real Sammy's head, running around and trying to get to I could be back into the real world.

Or maybe I was just dead. Maybe this is what happens when someone dies. Maybe I'm seriously stuck in here forever knowing the Real Sammy has died, and knowing that all the _real_ people I used to know (not these new alternate ones) are out there grieving me somewhere. And here I am stuck in a world where they are here but are _completely_ different.

Or maybe...I really _am_ going mentally insane?


	13. In This Rhinestone World

**Chapter Thirteen - **_**In This Rhinestone World**_

"So you're telling me you have a different life and I was your enemy?" Heather cracked up. "Seriously. You're my best friend! I'm sure I could never hate you, even in another world or life or whatever. Anyway, I'm trying to take your advice into being less shallow and bi— er, witchy. Now let's see if Danny likes me for me!"

My half brother Danny, I thought glumly. I smiled at Heather. I really had noticed a good change in her. She seemed really...civilized. Someone I actually wouldn't mind being around if she stayed like this. If she was like this in real life I would actually be her friend. I felt good that I had influenced such a positive change in her. At least I was making this Alternate World a better place, right?

"No, you seriously hated me." I laughed. "If I ever get back, promise me one thing."

"Yeah? What's that?" she held out a piece of gum to offer me. I just shook my head.

"That you'll stay the same way you are here."

I was at Marissa's doorstep now, facing Marissa.

"Marissa, I just wanted to let you know—"

Before I could finish my sentence she grabbed me in a huge hug. "I am so sorry! Sammy! So, so, so sorry! Please! I'm your best friend and I'm sorry if I've ever done anything to annoy or anger or hurt you. Please forgive me? Before it's too late?"

She started crying again.

"What?" I stammered, taken aback.

"I can't watch this." she was crying. She ran back into her house and slammed the door shut. Before I could even tell her that I would be her friend no matter how horrible she turned out to be. That I would always try to help her no matter what.

"Mom, I love you." I finally said to my Mom in her room the same day. "And no matter where I go or what happens to me, remember that I love you even if you do stupid things that make me hate you for a long time. But I'll still always love you inside. It's just hard for me to say. You have to understand that. I'm not good at showing affection too well..."

Mother looked up. Why was she crying so hard? I had just started to speak like five seconds ago.

"Please," she sobbed. "Forgive me someday. Even when you're gone. Forgive me for everything."

I really had no idea what to forgive her for. What did Alternate Reality Mom do to me ever? Nothing. In this New World she's always been Perfect Happy Mother.

But just for her sake, I said, "I forgive you." even though I didn't know what she meant, I still forgave her. Inside I secretly knew I was also forgiving her for leaving me in Santa Martina while she ran off to Hollywood (in my real life). I was forgiving her for the one thing I swore I would never forgive her for.

And I was glad.

"Look," I said to Casey when he opened the door to his house after I rang the bell. "I'm actually here for Heather, so—"

"Heather's not here." he said, looking me so straight-on in the eyes that it scared me.

"Yes it is. I can hear the Shakira music from her room."

"Well you can't come in." he was still looking into my eyes weirdly.

"Stop staring like that," I snapped. "And let me in! Heather!" I yelled into the house. He blocked the doorway. "I said you can't come in, Sammy."

"Why not?" I attempted to maneuver myself underneath his arm but he stopped me again.

"Because I need to tell you something first." he admitted.

"That you hate me? Got back together with Noelle? I don't care. Really, Casey. I don't care. Let me in."

"No, it's that ever since you first talked to me I've found myself thinking you are the strangest girl I have ever met. Claiming you come from a different reality, that I was your boyfriend in that alternate world, and that you don't really like me when I know there is something up with the way you look at me. You look at me as if you knew me before. As if we once knew each other so well. But I've never known you before at all, so I started actually kind of believing you. Then you tell me I'm better than this and the 'real' Casey was better than this and that I can be a better person and, that I'm vain and a jerk and Noelle isn't worth my time, which she isn't. And I go out with you once because I feel bad for being a jerk, and I drop you off at your house and I tell you that was our only date and stuff and I expected you to act hurt of something but you didn't. I just wanted to see if you really liked me or not. Which you obviously don't."

My throat felt dry. Hearing his voice say so much at once...reminded me of the old Casey. _My_ Casey.

He continued, "But the truth is I found myself falling for you and I don't know why because you have got to be the most..._interestingly_ strange...person I have ever met."

Where was he going with this? "Your point _is_...?" I tapped my food impatiently. I needed to talk to Heather.

"_This_ is my point," he said and then grabbed me by my shoulders and kissed me. The minute he kissed me I felt something different. And it reminded me so much of the real Casey, my Casey. I wanted to see him so bad now. I wanted to kiss the _real_ Casey now. Not this new one. I wanted to be with my _real_ mom, not the Martha-Stewart-mother she had become in this new life. I wanted to be with the old Marissa, the real Marissa. Okay, maybe I didn't want to see Mean Heather again and I wanted New Nice Heather to stay, but I can't ask for everything, right?

Casey wasn't kissing me anymore. When I opened my eyes, everything was dark.


	14. Fallen in a Black Hole?

**Chapter Fourteen - **_**Fallen in a Black Hole?**_

Everything was blacked out for hours. I couldn't open my mouth to speak. I couldn't hear. I couldn't see or think straight.

And then slowly I began to hear again. Quiet, faraway voices... Different people, all talking one after the other. I recognized the voices but my mind was too shady to remember who was saying what.

"The doctor says she'll be awake soon..."

"Oh my God, she's okay, she's okay!"

"Samantha! My little Samantha! Thank goodness!"

Grams? That last person to speak had been Grams! "Grams!" I tried to say but I couldn't open my mouth to speak.

A male voice said, "Okay, don't pounce on her the second she opens her eyes, okay? You might give her a heart attack and then she'll _really_ end up dead."

Dead? Did I die? I _DIED_? _AHHH_!

Wait, no, they kept saying I was about to wake up.

"I had no idea comas were this serious. Lords made it seem like such a tiny problem." was that...my mother's voice...?

"Ooh she better wake up. I bet she's going to freak when she sees me. Should I leave for her sake?" Wait. Was that Heather's voice?

Suddenly my eyes started to flutter open.

"She's waking up!" I think it was Marissa's voice who said that.

"_Finally_." Heather's voice echoes in my ear making my insides wince with pain.

"_Shhh_..." Casey's voice soothes me. _Awww_.

I can't believe this is the Real World again. I really can't. It feels like forever since I've heard my friends and family speak like they really should. Except for Heather, she still seems a little different here.

The blinding white lights hit my eyes so suddenly I opened my mouth and screeched.

Suddenly someone was holding my face in his warm hands and making me look into his eyes, despite my own watery ones. "Sammy? Are you okay? Are you awake now?"

It was Casey! I nodded, forcing a smile onto my lips. Every bone in my body ached. Except where Casey was holding me, then I felt okay.

He let go of me and sat back a little, looking relieved. "Jesus...thank God."

"Samantha!" Grams was on the other side of me, hugging me.

I yelped because it hurt when she hugged me. It hurt a lot.

"Mother, she has _two_ broken ribs _and_ a broken arm! Don't attack her!" my mother said to Grams.

Grams took a step back. "Oh, I am very sorry, Samantha. I just missed you so much... I was so worried... Never do anything like that again! Never!"

"What? What did I do? Why am I here? Why do I have broken bones?"

"Wait. You don't have amnesia do you?" Mother asked.

I laughed a little. Of course Lady Lana would ask that. "No, Mom, I remember everything and everyone fine. Except for how I got _here_."

Marissa was standing by Dot and Heather in the corner but she rushed up to me. "Ohmygod Sammy I was freaking out! You scared us all _SO BAD!_ The doctors said you weren't going to _live_. But you were in a coma and you're OK now but Ohmygod! _Ohmygod_! Casey and I came here every day and so did your mother and grandmother, and we kept saying things like _'Please wake up'_ to you and stuff like that. And Casey told you he loved you and we were just talking to you even though you were half-dead and couldn't hear us and...and..and...Ohmygod, we missed you, Sammy!" she hugged me and I didn't even mind the pain. It was all erased for a split second while she hugged me. Marissa was back. The real Marissa!

And now I understand why in that Alternate World I kept hearing things they didn't really say. Like when Casey told me he loved me and I asked him "_What_?" and he said he didn't say anything like that. But now I know it was the _real_ life Casey who had been sitting here telling me that... And when Marissa told me to wake up and that everyone was waiting. And when Mom started crying and telling me to wake up. It all made perfect sense now.

"How did I get here?" I repeated. It almost hurt to talk.

Lana told me. "When I told you that you were going to live with your father, you were so angry and upset and said you wished I had never left for L.A, so you stormed out of the apartment and began jaywalking across the street, most likely to go over to your friend Holly at the Pup Parlor. I was about to run out and get you but before I could reach you, a car hit you. And we called the ambulance and 911 and they tried to fix you up but you wouldn't wake up. It's been four days. They said you were in a coma and you might not live. And I couldn't stand the thought of pulling the plug on you. I decided that if there is hope on my soap show, there is hope for you."

I tried to breathe properly. "_Four_ days?" in my dream-like-state it was over a whole month! Wow.

She nodded. "You're back now. Thank goodness. The doctors informed us all today that there is a chance of you waking up. They tried everything they can. And you are back and..." she let a few tears escape. "You never realize how much you have until you've lost it all, Samantha. And I have so much. I would never give you up. For anything."

By now, Casey and Grams and Heather and Marissa and Dot were all inching out of the room. Marissa shut the door behind her. I would need a thorough explanation of Heather's presence later.

"I love you, Mom." I said, thankful for the privacy in the room now.

"I love you too." she said as she daintily hugged me so not to hurt me. "And I've been in here a number of times, crying and asking for you to forgive me. For leaving you all those years ago."

I remembered in my dream-like-state New World, when she had asked me to forgive her and I had no idea what she meant but I said I forgive her anyway. Now I understood.

"I forgave you a long time ago." I said. I found myself crying too.

"We can talk later, Sunshine, but I think your friends are dying to speak with you. So I will see you tomorrow in the morning, alright? That's when they're releasing you from the hospital."

I nodded and smiled. "Bye, Mom."

"Goodbye, Sunshine." she whispered as she left.

Next came in Casey and Marissa after my mother.

I asked, "Where did Heather go?"

"She's waiting." Casey said slowly as he watched my expression. "She wants to talk to you separately."

"Sounds fine," I said cheerfully. "Guys, I need to tell you something. About my coma."

"Yeah?" Marissa said nervously.

Casey sat down on one side of me Marissa on the other. "Tell us," he said as he lightly stroked my hair.

"During my coma I had a really long, really extensive dream. It felt real. Like _real_ real."

"What?" they didn't understand.

And so I explained everything to them. About how I was in a new world, how they had changed, what had happened. Even the Heather parts. I told them EVERY. SINGLE. _WORD_. Starting from the wish I had made, ending until the point New Casey had kissed me and I had blacked out again.

"Wow," Casey said when I was finished. "Seems like a really elaborate dream."

"It was more than a dream." I said. "It took me to a whole new life. Showing me how my life would have been affected if my mom had never left. It was brutal and... I'm just so glad to be back."

"We're glad to have you back too." Marissa smiled. Casey leaned down and kissed my forehead and then grabbed my hand. He intertwined his fingers in mine as he said, "Maybe the dream was to teach you something."

"And it worked." I marveled. I still couldn't believe Real Marissa and Real Casey believed me! See what true friend and boyfriend they are?

"Now explain to me about Heather. We can talk more about my Dream Thing _later_."

Casey explained, "Well, when she heard you might die she freaked out. Because she felt guilty."

Real Heather had a _conscious_? Hmm.

"You saved her life before, and she never even thanked you for it. She felt like if you died she'd never forgive herself. That if you died and you were to ever see her again somehow, _you'd_ never forgive her."

"Tell her I forgive her."

Casey and Marissa looked at each other. Then they both stood up together. "Maybe you should tell her that yourself, Sammy."

Maybe I should.


	15. Let's Jump the Sun

**Chapter Fifteen - **_**Let's Jump the Sun**_

When Heather entered, I didn't know what to say. Should I talk to her like she is Friend Heather or Enemy Heather?

She spoke up first, saving me the worry. "Don't be freaked that I'm here. I'm not here to do anything to you. I swear." her voice was mixed with shame and regret.

"I know." I said, my throat burning. Why did it hurt to talk?

She didn't sit down beside me; she sort of hovered around the room, trying to avoid eye contact with me. "I know you hate me. But you saved my life once, and that's when I realized you weren't the completely horrible person I thought you were. And I know I was mean to you, even after you saved my life. And when Casey told me you were going to die, well he was devastated beyond belief. For some reason so was I. I felt..."

Say it, Heather. Just say the word.

"...guilty."

"You did?" I asked. Even though I already knew. A little. Sort of.

She nodded, looking straight at me. "I'm not saying we should be friends. But I'm...I'm...I'm s—s—"

"You're sorry?" I helped her out.

She nodded embarrassed. "I'm so-_rrr_-y, okay? For not thanking you for saving my life. For trying to ruin things between you and my brother. For blaming you on our parent issues. Maybe I hated you at first but now I don't...I don't particularly _love_ you, either. I'm neutral about you."

"You're forgiven." I said.

"I am?" she blinked, almost shocked.

"You were forgiven a long time ago."

She shook her head. "Well, thanks... I guess. So..." a very long awkward silence. "...Truce?" she croaked the word out like it hurt to say it.

I nodded, smiling. "Truce."

We shook on it.

As she was leaving the room she gave a playful little smirk. "Don't mess it up, Loser." she said.

"Same goes, Stepsister." I called back.

The door clanged shut.

I was alone. In my real life. With my real boyfriend and real best friend and real mother and my home...my home! I couldn't wait to get back to the little apartment. To see Dorito and be with Grams. Her oatmeal. And my small drawer full of _non_-Abercrombie clothes. I giggled to myself.

Suddenly my mother entered the room.

"Hi, Mom." I said.

"Hello." she said carefully. "How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good, how about you?"

She sat down beside me. "Pretty good also."

Awkward silence.

"Samantha, I can't move back with you now because I'm in a contract for the show. But every time the show takes a hiatus, which is every summer and some weeks in the winters, I'll come and stay with you. Get a hotel room in the Heavenly and spend time with you."

"You don't have to." I said, "It's okay that you moved to L.A. You like it there. So stay if you want."

"I am staying, because of my contract. But only in the summers and some winters I can stay with you, Samantha. Or do you not want that?"

I imagined me and Real Mom making pizza together. I smiled. If she came for the summers, maybe I could force her to try making pizza with me. It wouldn't be the same as my Coma Dream World but it would be fun. Because this was my _real_ mom.

She might actually learn a thing two out of it. So might I.

"I would love that." I said. "Completely."

"That's great!" she exclaimed. Then she suddenly added, "And you don't have to do live with your father if you don't want to."

I thought about it. "Do my friends know yet?"

She shook her head. "I thought you deserved to tell them."

"So I can tell them?"

"Well, you can't exactly keep it a secret anymore since his son Daniel knows and might tell them also. So yes, you can tell them. And you don't have to live there. You can stay in your apartment. You can move in when you're ready, to get to know your father more."

"Maybe someday I will." I thought about it. "And wait. Isn't Danny older than me? Then doesn't that mean Mr. Urbanski had Danny before he had me? And isn't he happily married? So where do _I_ fit it?"

Mom sighed. "It's a long story, Sunshine. But basically he got his wife pregnant before he ever married her. Then be left her for a while and met me. I didn't know he had gotten another woman pregnant so I dated him for a while and then...well...you came. And he left _me_, then. And eventually he reconciled with his first girlfriend— Danny's mother— and married her. They're okay now, and happy, I suppose."

"Oh." now I get it. "Okay. When I want to move in with him, I will. Someday. Not today, not tomorrow. But someday I might."

She smiled. "It's your choice. Do whichever makes you happier. Live your life, Samantha. You'll get another."

Yes, I thought to myself. Maybe someday I would get another life. Maybe then I wouldn't even miss this life, because I would have no regrets. Maybe, maybe, maybe.

For now, I'm just going to be careful what I wish for and where I walk on the streets. And I'm going to forgive people now instead of always hold grudges. People always have hidden insecurities and I would have never realized that had it been for the Butterfly Effect Coma Dream thing. I've also learned that no matter how bad the thing, sometimes it's best to be grateful for whatever history you have because your life could have been seriously different without it. Bad things are going to happen no matter what. You can't change that fact. You can't keep bad things from happening. You _can_, however, try to get past them and not ever look back. That's the only way to heal them. Trying to mess with history can lead to major consequences.

The biggest piece of advice I have to give to you?

Never, ever, and I repeat _never_ take a butterfly out of the past.

_Let's jump the sun_

_Let's find forever_

_Where does the time go?_

_Just live your life,_

_You'll get another_

_Tonight, tonight, tonight_

_With forgiveness and love._

-Miley Cyrus, **"Forgiveness and Love"**


	16. A Note From Me

**A Note From Me**

When I first started this story it was a simple piece of entertainment. I hadn't meant to make it actually _mean _something. But along the way I actually started realizing that there is more to a story than the entertainment factor. Have you ever finished a book and just sat there for a moment thinking about it? I have. The fact is that when someone reads a fictional story they seem to feel like it is real. "It's like TV in your head!" When I started thinking more about Sammy and the relationship between her mother, how she was always angry at her mother for leaving her, and that passage in _Cold Hard Cash _how Sammy said there is this weird bond to your family that is hard to explain. It made me want to write a story that made everyone sort of learn something in the end. Like Heather, for example. I had never meant for Heather to form a truce with Sammy in the end of this story. I actually was going to make Heather still hate her. But I didn't want the whole Nice Heather person to be a complete Waste of Story.

Anyway, this whole story put together on one Word document is 46 pages. And the fact that makes it even more strange, is that I originally wrote it all on my iPhone on the Notes app. I actually just wrote it when I was bored. Like when I had a little bit of spare time here and there I would write a chapter real quick. Eventually I started really enjoying the story myself. I've got to say it has been my favorite story to write, _ever. _It's the only story I have completely _finished _with over 10 chapters in a matter of four days.

Yes, it's strange that I'd do that. Who has that much free time? Not me. The reason I finished this in four days is because it was on my iPhone, not my Macbook so I could easily write passages whenever I could squeeze in five minutes. I'm a really fast writer, and some of you may know me for that. I then email the story to myself and open it on my computer, edit the hole story completely (the editing took me two days. Last night and tonight) and then I'm finished.

I just wanted to let you all know that I really had fun writing this and I'm sure if I was the one reading it I would have enjoyed reading it too. I'm not saying my writing is fabulous on FF because honestly, I don't use my best writing here. I use my best writing for school papers and stuff like that. Usually on FF stories I just write for the story, not for any advanced literature purposes.

I have a teensy question. If I was to do a spin-off type of story that centered around Sammy and if she moved into her "dad" (Danny's dad according to this story)'s house, would you guys like reading it? Like, would it be something you're interested in? That is all.

So thank you for reading! If you actually read this far, all the way from Chapter One to Chapter Fifteen. Please give me elaborate feedback on what you thought of this story?

_**Credits**_**:**

_**Sammy Keyes **_**series by Wendelin Van Draanen**

"_**What Dreams Are Made Of"**_** song by Blood on the Dance Floor**

"_**Imagination Can Be the Death of You"**_** title taken from line in **_**"What Dreams Are Made Of" **_**by Blood on the Dance Floor**

_**South of Nowhere **_**TV show on The N**

"_**Fool Me Once"**_** title taken from **_**The Vampire Diaries**_** TV show on The CW**

"_**Vanity Affair" **_**title taken from **_**Vanity Faire **_**magazine**

"_**Not in Kansas Anymore" **_**title**__**taken from **_**The Wizard of Oz**_

"_**In This Rhinestone World" **_**taken from Blood on the Dance Floor album **_**It's Hard to Be a Diamond in This Rhinestone World**_

"_**Every Once in a While" **_**taken from Miley Cyrus song **_**"I Miss You"**_

"_**Hate, Rage, Lies, and Insecurities" **_**title taken from Blood on the Dance Floor song **_**"You Done Goofed"**_

"_**Fallen in a Black Hole?" **_**title taken from Lindsay Lohan song **_**"Black Hole"**_

"_**Sneaky Little Fly on the Wall" **_**title taken from Miley Cyrus song **_**"Fly on the Wall"**_

_**A Sound of Thunder **_**novel by Ray Bradbury**

"_**Let's Jump the Sun" **_**title taken by Miley Cyrus song **_**"Forgiveness and Love"**_

(I copied someone on Fanfiction on this arrow trick, but…)

**DO ITTTT**

**VVVVVVV**


End file.
